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Where are all the lawyers?

Most of the lawyers are in private law firms.
Law firms in Australia are generally smaller than those in USA or UK or on TV or in the movies. While there are relatively few large firms, they employ a disproportionately larger number of lawyers.
There are relatively few lawyers working for legal aid, the government or large companies.

The Law Council of Australia produced a fact sheet entitled Snapshot of the Legal Profession, which includes details on the size of the Australian Legal Profession.

Our Barristers page explains the difference between a Barrister, Solicitor, Lawyer and Attorney.

Working with your Lawyer

Being a good client can have a significant effect on the outcome of your matter, and avoid unnecessary expense.

Lawyers charge for all their time, so if you ring them or email them a lot then this will increase the size of your bill. It is hard to tell whether you are pestering the lawyer unnecessarily or if you are doing the right thing and keeping the lawyer informed of extra information as it becomes available to you.

Sometimes a timely phone call to your busy lawyer will prompt them to act more speedily.

If you are unsure about whether your calls are necessary or not, then just ask the lawyer. You should be able to have an open discussion with your lawyer about how your case is handled as well as any concerns that you might have about legal costs.

It is really important that you understand the advice that is being given to you and the options that you have at each stage. Often it is best to make an appointment to see the lawyer for these discussions. You can achieve a lot in a short meeting, the lawyer will probably refresh their thoughts about your file before the meeting and you have a time set aside for you and your lawyer.

Phone calls can be hard if you are trying to contact your lawyer at a busy time. E-mails can be misinterpreted and letters can get expensive if you ask your lawyer to explain things to you in that way.